HHS Disbands Blood Safety Advisory Committee

April 14, 2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has disbanded the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA), the federal advisory committee that provided guidance to the HHS secretary on policy issues related to the safety and availability of blood, blood products, tissues and organs.

The ACBTSA was housed under the now-disbanded Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), which coordinated HHS activities related to blood and tissue safety and availability.

Since its establishment in 1997, the ACBTSA and its member experts have helped to guide federal policy on the most pressing topics in blood banking and transfusion medicine. The committee’s work touched on all aspects of blood safety, helping inform science-based donor deferral policies, emergency preparedness for blood supply disruptions and the integration of new technologies and therapies.

"The work of the ACBTSA has been instrumental in shaping policies that have made the U.S. blood supply among the safest in the world," said Claudia S. Cohn, MD, PhD, AABB's chief medical officer and former ACBTSA chair. "The loss of this committee marks the end of an important chapter, but its contributions will continue to influence our work for years to come."

AABB Vows to Uphold Vital Discussions on Blood Safety

AABB recognizes the important contributions of ACBTSA and its members, whose work helped strengthen the safety and availability of the U.S. blood supply and saved countless lives. While the loss of this advisory body is significant, AABB remains committed to providing a forum for essential conversations on blood safety.

The Association will continue to engage blood community stakeholders and federal partners through AABB committees, task forces and working groups to support a safe and available blood supply for patients.